Remediation Technology Demonstration Project Profiles
Phytoremediation at Former Transformer Manufacturing Facility in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Last Updated: August 15, 2008 |
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| Site Identifying Information | ||
| Site Name, Location: | Former Transformer Manufacturing Facility, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
(EPA Region 0) |
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| Site Type: | Manufacturing Facility | |
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| Project Information | ||||||||||||||
| Project Name: | Phytoremediation at Former Transformer Manufacturing Facility in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada | |||||||||||||
| Project Status: | Complete | |||||||||||||
| Contaminants Treated: |
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| Media Treated: |
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| Demonstration Technologies and Types: | Phytoremediation (In Situ Biological) Phytoextraction (In Situ Biological) |
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| Demonstration Year: | 2006 | |||||||||||||
| Year of Publication: | 2006 | |||||||||||||
| Goal of the Demonstration: | To test the practical application of phytoextraction at an historically contaminated field site. | |||||||||||||
| Design and Operations: | A 25 m×7 m area of contaminated soil was exposed from the asphalt cap. The plot was amended with fertilizer, an inorganic bulking agent, and top soil to achieve suitable growing conditions. A water tank, pump, and sprinkler system were installed to irrigate the plots. Initial soil and air monitoring samples were subsequently collected. Air sampling continued bi-weekly. Three identical 5×7 m experimental blocks were set up in exposed the PCB contaminated area. Each block contained three mounds of zucchini/pumpkin plants, two 0.25 m2 plots of tall fescue and two 0.25 m2 plots of sedge. The plants were monitored daily and watered as necessary. Plant growth was measured and the blocks were weeded weekly. Plants were harvested after 10 weeks of growth. Soil from the root zone was collected and stored. Representative shoot, root and soil samples were analyzed from one sedge plot and one tall fescue plot from each block. In addition, root and soil samples were analyzed for one zucchini/pumpkin plant from each block that had been sampled in entirety. | |||||||||||||
| Performance Data Relevant to Demonstration Goals: | All three plant species survived to harvest. The zucchini/pumpkin plants in particular far exceeded expected growth. There were no apparent signs of plant stress. Sedge exhibited the highest PCB concentrations in both roots and shoots, followed by zucchini/pumpkin and then tall fescue. The three plant species studies showed the feasibility of bioaccumulation of significant amounts of PCBs in situ setting, without the risk of emissions of PCBs to the environment. | |||||||||||||
| Interesting Aspects or Significance of the Demonstration: | Treatment of Recalcitrant Compounds | |||||||||||||
| Lessons Learned: | Current phytoremediation techniques with these plant species do not provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional treatment methods. | |||||||||||||
| Other Demonstration Information (such as cost data, if available): | The study took place at the site of a former transformer manufacturing facility in Etobicoke, Ontario, where approximately 9000 tons of PCB-contaminated soil (<50 μg/g) Aroclor 1254/1260) were secured on site by an asphalt cap. The soil had total organic carbon of 3.5%, pH 7.1. An on-site water treatment facility was in place to remove PCBs from any groundwater that flowed through the contaminated area. | |||||||||||||
| Vendor(s) or Consultant(s) Associated with the Demonstration: |
Royal Military College, Canada |
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| Information Source(s) for the Demonstration: |
Whitfield Åslund, M.L., B.A. Zeeb, A. Rutter and K. J. Reimer. 2007. In situ phytoextraction of polychlorinated biphenyl - (PCB) contaminated soil. Sci. Total Environ. 374(1):1-12. Reimer, K., M. Whitfield, B. Zeeb, A. Rutter. 2005. Phytoextraction of PCBs: A Case Study. http://www.cluin.org/phytoconf/proceedings/2005/1B_Zeeb.pdf Zeeb, B.A, J.S. Amphlett, A. Rutter and K.J. Reimer. 2006. Potential for phytoremediation of polychlorinated biphenyl-(PCB)-contaminated soil. Int. J. Phytorem. 8(3):199-221(23). http://students.cadgis.lsu.edu/njanak1/phytoremediation/PR%20of%20PCBs%20in%20soil.pdf |
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| Contact Information | ||||||||||||||
| Point(s) of Contact: |
Barbara Zeeb (Primary Contact) Biotechnologies and Environment, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada Kingston, Ontario K7K 7B4., Canada Telephone: +1 613 541-6000 X 6713 6000x6713 Fax: +1 613 541 6596 E-mail: zeeb-b@rmc.ca |
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